What’s Right With Our Schools: The Phoenix School
DALTON, GA (WDEF) – Students learn at their own pace. The Phoenix School meets Whitfield County students where they are and allows them to set their own graduation path. The results are nothing short of inspiring. We pay a visit to the Northwest Georgia College and Career academy for tonight’s “What’s Right With Our Schools.”
“Phoenix high school is a special purpose high school and what that means is it’s not punitive. You don’t come here because you’re getting in trouble. But it’s an alternative school. But like one of our kiddos Hanna’s calls it a school of alternatives for students,” Sherri Travisano, Principal, Phoenix High School said.
“So I started at Northwest and I just got a little behind because I had a labrum surgery. And you know it was like a bad state mentally. And it got me behind my work and I was just all in my head,” Caleb Chambers, recent graduate, Phoenix High School said.
“Well, I got caught up behind on work and I got a second opportunity to work here,” Daniel Diaz, Graduate, Phoenix High School said.
“When I transferred here, I was very quiet. I spoke to myself, but the school made me feel very welcome and like taught me how to speak up for myself in ways that I can’t even explain,” Kily Ponders, Graduate, Phoenix High School said.
“We get kiddos who aren’t being successful with the home high school. That’s the purpose of a special purpose high school. And we get kids that life is slapped them in the face sometimes. And that life is just hard and their navigating losing their parents losing their housing lose it… just lots of things that are heavy. And so before we can get at that academic piece we need to build that base. We need to take care of the those safety needs those emotional needs. We need to get them in the right place learning commas more easily,” Travisano said.
“It felt amazing. They gave me time. They got to understand me, and that’s that’s all. I’m truly grateful for is… Because my other school it was really… I guess like you wouldn’t feel the type of connection you would feel over, over there and what you feel right here you know it’s great,” Diaz says.
“About the Phoenix school, getting a back on track. Where would you be? David Moore,” Chief Photographer asked.
“Probably in my bed crying right now. If I’m gonna be honest,” Destiny Burjosa, Senior Phoenix High School said.
“Why so?” Moore asked.
“Because I’d be scared that I’m not graduate like everybody else,” Burjosa said.
“With having a smaller group sizes here at Phoenix, we are really able to build that relationship and get to know our students; where that doesn’t always get to happen with such a large group. We’re able not only to know who they are and their names, were were able to know their stories, and then because we know their stories were able to support them, not just in their academic journey, but in their life journey as well,” Ericka Ralph, Mental Health, Counselor, Phoenix High School.
“I don’t know what I would do if I was not here right now. Phoenix really opened up my perspective on life. It made me realize that there’s so much more to it . And there’s a lot to be grateful for. If you are ever struggling, come to Phoenix and now your problems will be solved, just like mine,” Burjosa said.
